Somalia: Puntland Forces Take Control of ISIS Bomb-Making Facility

BOSASO, Somalia — Puntland’s defense forces have secured the town of Sheebaab, the Kayaxa area, and several surrounding strategic locations in the Almiskaad mountains of Bari region, according to local officials. The move marks a significant victory in the ongoing counterterrorism operation in the region.

The forces also seized fuel, weapons, and medical supplies left behind in a hospital previously used by ISIS militants. The hospital had been serving as a key site for the terror group before its destruction.

Additionally, Puntland forces took control of an explosives and vehicle manufacturing plant used by ISIS. The facility was bombed in an airstrike on February 14 but was reportedly still in use by the militants, despite being rendered inoperative.

Authorities also discovered two mass graves in Sheebaab, believed to contain the remains of ISIS fighters killed in previous airstrikes targeting militant positions in the Calmiskaad mountains. These strikes were reportedly carried out by U.S. and UAE forces.

Puntland troops continue their operations in the area, successfully clearing ISIS militants from these vital regions and striving to maintain security in the face of ongoing threats from the terror group.

Puntland state has hailed international partners for the role they played in the success of the operations against ISIS militants.

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said a Feb. 1 airstrike it carried out against ISIS killed 14 terrorists, including a senior leader.

The strike targeted senior ISIS leadership in a series of cave complexes approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of the port city of Bosaso, the capital of the northeastern Bari region.

Among those killed was Ahmed Maeleninine, a key ISIS recruiter, financier, and external operations leader “responsible for the deployment of terrorists into the United States and across Europe.”

GAROWE ONLINE